


Part Of Your World

by celexdraw



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, MerMay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:48:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24003091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celexdraw/pseuds/celexdraw
Summary: Gavin wants Richard to be a part of his life, but he feels that Richard doesn't feel the same way because he never shares anything personal about himself or his life. In an attempt to help Richard open up, Gavin takes him to the place where he was raised--believing that if he shares his past, Richard will too.
Relationships: Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed
Comments: 14
Kudos: 127





	1. Part 1: A Simple Trip To The Beach

“Gavin, I’m getting a headache with this bandana over my eyes, can you please just tell me where we are going?” Richard complained, arms folded as he leaned back in his seat.  
“We’re almost there, babe, chill.”  
Richard didn’t know it, but Gavin had the widest grin on his face. They had been driving for only about two hours up the coast, and he had made Richard cover his eyes so that he would be genuinely surprised.  
They’d been dating for nearly a year now, and Gavin had only learned recently that the man hadn’t ever been to the beach, despite living so close by.  
Gavin had practically grown up in the ocean. He had been first certified as a diver at 10. He had to share that with his boyfriend, especially after all the time they had spent together...and besides all that, he hoped that perhaps sharing something as personal as his hometown and his family might give Richard an opportunity to open up himself.  
He was an extremely private person. Gavin wouldn’t consider him secretive, but he sometimes felt like Richard was a stranger. Not that Gavin hadn’t been much better. They had bonded initially over their shared inability to be vulnerable with one another, but now Gavin was trying to be better.  
Gavin had been considering asking Richard to move in with him on this trip since he felt that their relationship was at a point that it seemed like the reasonable next step...but Gavin was unsure, just like he was about everything, that Richard really wanted that.  
Maybe it was the fact that he hardly shared anything about himself or his past...but Gavin wanted to change that by showing Richard it was okay to be open. Or at least give Richard an opportunity. Not that this was an ultimatum...but it kind of felt like it.  
“Gavin, please, I’m gonna get car sick, you’re turning a lot,” Richard grumbled.  
He had a tendency for car-sickness, which Gavin had always tried to respect, but just this once he made Richard hold out.  
“I’m just finding a place to park, hold on,” Gavin said calmly, “then I’ll help you out of the car and you’ll be able to see your surprise!”  
“Okay, okay,” Richard nodded slowly, trying his best not to bump the bandana tied over his eyes. He wasn’t about to rain on Gavin’s parade. He sounded so excited.  
Finally finding a place to park, Gavin stepped out of the driver’s side door and inserted several dollars worth of quarters into the parking meter, giving them at least four hours before they needed to check back with the car.  
Walking to Richard’s side, Gavin opened the door to help him out. Richard was clinging to the edge of his seat and his face was pale.  
“Oh, god, I didn’t think my driving was that bad, Rich, I’m sorry,” Gavin apologized profusely, offering Richard his hand and helping him out of the car.  
“My surprise… is the ocean?” Richard rasped, his face still pale.  
“How’d you guess? Were you peeking?” Gavin demanded.  
“No, I can hear it,” Richard lied. The truth was, he had smelled it the moment Gavin had opened the driver’s side door, but he didn’t want to explain how he knew what the ocean smelled like despite ‘never having been there’.  
“Oh,” Gavin pulled the blindfold off of Richard’s face, beaming like the midday sun up at his boyfriend, “well, what do you think? You told me you’d never been! I just had to show you---this is the beach I grew up on! I learned to surf, snorkel, and dive here… It’s practically my entire childhood!”  
Richard forced a smile, looking out at the sand and toward the tides anxiously, “that’s great, Gavin!”  
“Is something wrong?” Gavin asked, crestfallen.  
“I uh… I’m afraid of the ocean,” Richard rubbed the back of his neck and looked away from Gavin, embarrassment on his face at the excuse.  
“Oh my god, I had no idea---I’m so sorry, Richard, I didn’t---”  
“I can still enjoy the beach, Gavin, don’t worry,” Richard smiled, “I’m glad you wanted to show me something that’s so special to you.”  
Gavin relaxed a little bit, moving from Richard to the back of the car, “can you help me carry the stuff?”  
Richard glanced back at the waves, the hair on the back of his neck prickling.  
One thought dominated his mind: This was the end of the line.  
“Richard?”  
“Yeah, I’m coming, I’m coming.”

* * *

“So, what do you think of your first day on the beach?” Gavin asked, plopping down next to Richard on the sandy towel as they watched the sunset. They had spent most of the day there, walking up and down the surf and talking.  
Gavin would occasionally break free and clamber onto some rocks that jutted into the water, pointing out sea life where he saw it, telling Richard about his first time snorkeling as a child with his dad, or about the first time he got up on a surfboard with his mom.  
Richard had been happy to hear all of it, nodding appreciatively but staying relatively quiet the entire time.  
Gavin wondered if he was just nervous because they would be staying at Gavin’s parent’s house, and he’d never met them before. He had given Richard plenty of opportunities to talk, but he hadn’t taken any of the bait. He seemed overly preoccupied with something, but wouldn’t talk about it.  
“It’s been wonderful,” Richard planted a kiss on Gavin’s ocean-salted temple, “did you enjoy jumping in the waves?”  
“It’s been a while, so yeah!” Gavin grinned, rubbing his fingers through his wet hair, “tomorrow we have to get up really early and collect some seashells together---”  
Richard grinned widely, the most emotion he had shown all day, “you like collecting Seashells?”  
“Of course! I’ve got a whole collection at my parent’s house that I can show you if you’re interested…”  
“Yes!”  
“I should’ve guessed you would be into that,” Gavin laughed, “what with all your little trinket collections and all. I’m surprised you didn’t pick anything up today!”  
“I was trying to exhibit some self-control,” Richard snorted, “but tomorrow morning I won’t!”  
“I’m so glad you’re excited about it,” Gavin rubbed his hands together, elated at landing on something Richard was genuinely invested in, “honestly, I’ve been worried you haven’t been having a good time… you’ve been so quiet.”  
“I was just excited to hear about your love of the ocean, that’s all,” Richard looked into his hands, “maybe I’m a little nervous to meet your parents, too. I don’t exactly have anything shiny to show them that I’m worthy or something.”  
“You don’t need credentials to meet my parents,” Gavin laughed, “they’ll love you, I promise!”  
Richard smiled, “if you say so.”  
“Come on, why don’t we go now, I bet my mom’s made some fresh baked salmon or something. Trust me, fish near the ports is way better than anything you’ll get farther inland.”  
Richard brightened, quickly following after Gavin as they packed up their things, not even bothering to mention that they didn’t stay for the whole sunset. Richard’s love of fish far overshadowed his love of the sunset.

* * *

“So, what do you do for a living, Richard?” Gavin’s father asked through a mouthful of lemon pepper orzo.  
“Uh...I’m just a barista at the local coffee store...I...uh...do some photography...” Richard felt like he stumbled over every word. He wanted to impress Gavin’s parents so badly.  
“Is that how you met Gav?” Rachel, Gavin’s little sister, piped up, “he drinks soooooo much coffee!”  
Richard laughed, “ah, no, actually. I was trying to get some pictures for a magazine that had commissioned me and broke my wrist.”  
“Oh, Gavin told us about that!” Gavin’s mother smiled, “he took you to the emergency care, and then asked you on a date!”  
“I thought he was lying,” Rachel snickered, “and you’re way too pretty for him, anyway.”  
“Hey!” Gavin glared at his sister.  
“I’m just saying the facts, Gav!” She stuck her tongue out at him, “he literally looks like a supermodel! Are you sure you aren’t paying him to fake being your boyfriend?”  
Richard covered his mouth to hide his laughter, “it might surprise you, Rachel, but I actually think your brother is very cute.”  
Making fake vomiting sounds, Rachel’s comedy routine only stopped when her mother smacked her shoulder.  
“Gavin speaks very highly of you,” Mrs. Reed commented, “we are very excited to have you in our home for the week.”  
“I am extremely grateful for your hospitality,” Richard smiled back.  
“No need to be so cordial, Richard, they’re just my parents, relax,” Gavin said after swallowing a large chunk of asparagus.  
“Just your parents,” Mr. Reed snorted, “you’re still on our medical insurance.”  
“When I’m done with school I’ll be able to pay my way! I’m saving up for my own place and everything.”  
Gavin had been pursuing a degree in business and had already racketed up a large group of students for his diving school. Richard knew to keep his mouth shut about it, though, since it was going to be a surprise for his parents when he graduated and could pay them back for all the help they gave him to get through school.  
“If you say so,” Mr. Reed hummed, the dinner continuing on just as pleasantly as it began.  
“Can I go out surfing tonight?” Rachel asked casually as she stood up to bring more food to the table.  
“No you may not, young lady,” Mr. Reed glared at her, “how many times do I have to say no before it sinks into that head of yours?”  
“But it’s not even stormy tonight! Come on!! A bunch of my friends are going--”  
“No is no, Rachel.”  
“But they’re all getting more surfing practice!! How am I ever going to be ready for the competition if--”  
“I said no.”  
Gavin and Richard exchanged glances, but Mrs. Reed smoothed over the interaction with a couple more questions directed at Richard.  
Richard slowly began to feel more comfortable, but he felt like he needed to keep his guard up in front of Gavin’s family---just like he did with Gavin. There were some things that weren’t worth mentioning...not until he absolutely had to.  
It became increasingly more difficult when Richard found out that Gavin’s mom was a marine biologist-turned veterinarian. She worked for a company focused on helping ocean wildlife out of man-made waste and sending them back to the wild again once they were healthy.  
He had never heard of a more honorable profession than that. Gavin’s father was a sailboat instructor, and he looked the part, his skin was so dark it looked more like leather.  
It was obvious this entire family was tied to the ocean. Even Rachel pursued competitive surfing.  
“You won’t believe this, but before today, Richard had never been to the ocean,” Gavin said as he passed out the desserts.  
Richard felt his face go hot, wishing Gavin hadn’t said anything about it.  
“Really? What did you think, Richard?” Mrs. Reed asked calmly.  
“I enjoyed walking up and down the beach,” he replied carefully, “and Gavin has promised to take me hunting for seashells tomorrow morning.”  
“Can I come, Gav?” Rachel burst, “please? You haven’t taken me in ages!”  
“Rachel,” Mr. Reed started.  
Gavin glanced at Richard, who gave a shrug, “I mean, we’ll be here for a week, I don’t see why you can’t come.”  
“Yes!!” Rachel sang, “I’ll bring my snorkeling gear!”  
Richard tensed up, “...snorkeling?”  
“You don’t have to do that, Rich, but Rachel and I have done it in the past.”  
“Come on, Richard! It’ll be fun!” Rachel pressed, “I bet we have gear that’ll fit you!”  
“No, it’s okay, really, I’m good staying in the sand---”  
“What, are you afraid or something?” Rachel sneered playfully.  
When she wasn’t given a response, her expression changed, “are you seriously afraid of the ocean? What for?”  
“Rachel, that’s an inappropriate question,” Mrs. Reed snapped, “leave the poor guy alone for two seconds.”  
“It’s okay…” Richard searched for a proper response, “...I just...don’t know how to swim...I nearly drowned as a kid, never really wanted to experience that again…”  
Gavin glanced at Richard, his hand moving to Richard’s knee in an effort to comfort him and acknowledge what he had said. Almost as if he were apologizing for it. He had wanted to learn more about Richard, but he regretted that it had accidentally been forced out.  
“Oh dear, that certainly is traumatic. Don’t let these two guilt you into anything you don’t want to do, dear.”  
“I’ll be sure to try my hardest,” Richard smirked, trying to lighten up the mood and hopefully the subject would change soon.  
Richard couldn’t help but feel a certain level of fear about Gavin’s mother. The way she looked at him...it was like she could see right through him.  
Not even a tour of the house and a display of Gavin’s sea-shell collection was enough to get his mind off of his anxieties.

* * *

Richard and Gavin watched as Rachel ran into the surf near the larger rocks, her head already ducked down to enter the water.  
“I...uh...I didn’t know you almost drowned as a kid,” Gavin brought up tentatively, picking up a full sand dollar and showing it to Richard.  
The idea of lying to Gavin seemed more wrong with every passing moment.  
“I lied. I just didn’t want them to press about it.”  
“... oh... You could've just said you don’t want to talk about it,” Gavin offered, the expression on his face hard to read...but Richard sensed that he was bothered about the lie.  
“I’m not very smart under pressure.”  
Gavin snorted, crouching down by a crab shell and rolling it over to see if it was still occupied, a loud yawn escaping his lips.  
Richard’s own collection was very carefully vetted. He only kept the shells that shone iridescently in the sun or had the right kind of pattern of spots or a particular swirl in the shell.  
“How do you keep finding those?” Gavin laughed, watching as Richard dug up another beautiful shell hidden beneath the sand.  
“This is how I found my first one,” Richard explained vaguely, “so it stands to reason that I would be able to find the others this way, too, right?”  
“I guess,” Gavin walked over to him, taking the shell in his hand and washing it in the incoming tide for Richard.  
“It always amazes me how much goes into the creation of just one of these,” Gavin handed the shell back, “and then when the slug or the crab gets too big… they move on to a bigger home.”  
“The circle of life,” Richard agreed, inspecting the shell carefully for cracks or blemishes.  
“My life has become a bit bigger with you in it,” Gavin said in an acute way, very clearly directing the conversation toward something he was obviously itching to talk about.  
“I could say the same,” Richard smiled genuinely, “I never thought I would be so grateful to break my wrist.”  
Gavin slowed down, glancing at the ocean to check that Rachel was still visible, but also to make sure she wouldn’t interrupt.  
“I’ve only got a semester left before I graduate. I’ve already bought the place where I’m going to put my school...and all that stuff...and I’ve been looking for a place to stay.”  
Richard blinked, it was too early to figure out where Gavin was going with this. He knew all about the place that Gavin had purchased, and they were even planning to visit the place this week since it was just up the coast an hour from his parent’s house in a beautiful alcove.  
He had seen the pictures. It was a breathtaking area.  
“...and well, I found this place right nearby, practically beachfront property but in a residential area so there won’t be as many tourists. It’s a bike-ride away from the school and very close to a supermarket and---”  
“Yeah?” Richard encouraged Gavin to continue.  
“---and it’s got a really nice office space in it, perfect size for a computer table and really big windows in the living room area so lots of natural sunlight---”  
“Gavin, why do you need an office space?” Richard chuckled.  
“It---it wouldn’t be for me...uh...god why is this so hard...I haven’t finalized anything, of course, not until you look at it---unless you don’t even want to---”  
Richard straightened, finally realizing what Gavin was trying to say.  
“You want me to move in with you?” He asked quietly.  
Gavin’s face was red but he maintained eye contact with Richard, “yeah, if that’s something that interests you.”  
“Of course that interests me!” Richard exclaimed, the rush of joy coursing through his body practically sending him into a shivering fit. He had wanted this for some time but had been too afraid to bring it up because Gavin was so relaxed about everything. It had taken them long enough to call their frequent hookups and dating ‘exclusive’.  
“Really?” Gavin’s face broke into a smile, “you mean it?”  
“I’ve been waiting for you to ask!”  
“I have been so scared that you didn’t want to move any farther in our relationship...that you were good right where we are now...” Gavin let those words hang as if he wanted to say more, but decided against it.  
Richard shoved his shells in his pockets and grabbed Gavin by the hips, pulling him in for a kiss, “I want to. Especially if you want to.”  
“Hey, I thought we were collecting shells, ladies,” Rachel complained, stamping up to them with her flippers on and the snorkel dangling from her soaked hair.  
“Look at what Richard found!” Gavin boasted, encouraging Richard to show his treasure trove to Rachel, who ogled at them excitedly, “these are so beautiful! You really have a knack for collecting, don’t you?”  
“He collects all sorts of things,” Gavin grinned, “you should see his jewelry collection. He made the earrings he’s wearing right now.”  
“Oh my god, really?” Rachel bounced up on her tip-toes to look at the jade studs, “will you show me how to make something out of the shells I collected?” she begged.  
“Sure,” Richard replied without missing a beat.  
“You know how to do that?” Gavin asked, surprised.  
Richard swallowed, “yeah. Why not?”  
“I guess I’ve never seen you do anything with shells,” Gavin shrugged, “I’m excited to see how it turns out!”  
“Then let’s go back now! Before I have to go to work!” Rachel begged, pulling at her brother’s arms.  
“Okay, okay,” Gavin smiled back at Richard, “we can get back to this later.”  
Richard followed them, suddenly wondering what the impact of moving in with Gavin would be. Maybe it would be better to come clean beforehand, just in case.  
Or would that just ruin everything?

* * *

  
Rachel wiggled eagerly as she watched Richard slowly work wiring into the shells she had collected, using the tools Gavin had given him to drill small, delicate holes.  
“I really like your earrings, they’re so pretty!” She commented, “do you make all your jewelry?”  
She was looking at the rings and bracelets on his hands now.  
“Yep,” Richard beamed, pausing to remove one of the silver chains from his wrist, a series of shined rocks hanging from it, “do you want it?”  
“Oh my god…” she held it carefully in her hands as if it were a child, “are you serious?”  
“Yeah, I’ve made loads like this one,” Richard chuckled at her amazement, returning to his work on her shells.  
“How did you get into this? You’re so good at it,” she was looping the chain around her wrist daintily.  
“I’ve been doing it since I was little, I guess,” Richard explained daintily, not wanting to go into specifics.  
“Where did you even grow up?” Rachel sighed, “you must have such a fun family.”  
Richard tried not to show the stress on his face.  
“Uh…”  
“Rachel, are you being nosy?” Gavin asked, walking into the room.  
He had been listening but hadn’t walked in until just now to save Richard from his obvious discomfort.  
“That’s a normal question!” Rachel protested.  
“It’s not important where I grew up,” Richard decided, hoping that was enough to deflect her interest.  
“Hey, are you okay? What’s that you’ve spilled on your hand?” She asked, pointing at Richard.  
He looked down, in his anxiety he had accidentally stabbed his hand with the wiring tool.  
Jumping to his feet, he abandoned his work and ran past Gavin to the bathroom, closing and locking the door as he ran his hand under the sink.  
The clear water turned blue as he washed the blood away.  
Richard’s heart pounded against his chest, his hand shaking under the cold water as he put pressure on the cut, begging for it to stop bleeding.  
“Hey, Rich?” Gavin asked, knocking on the bathroom door quietly, “are you okay?”  
“Ye--yeah,” Richard stammered.  
“What happened?”  
“I--uh--” Richard was opening up drawers and cupboards looking for bandaids or something to cover the cut.  
“Are you sure you’re okay?”  
“Yeah yeah yeah,” Richard accidentally knocked the soap off the sink in his desperation, “hey--I--do you have any bandaids?”  
“Did you cut yourself? What was all that blue stuff?”  
“I don’t know--” Richard lied through his teeth, “--do you have anything?”  
“Yes yes, hold on--Mom!” Gavin called through the house, leaving the bathroom door.  
Richard pressed his fingers harder into the small cut. He couldn’t let anyone see. They couldn’t find out like this…  
“Open up, I’ve got some stuff for you,” Gavin called, knocking on the door again.  
Richard pressed his elbow down on the doorhandle, letting Gavin in.  
He had several boxes with different sizes of bandaids, as well as Neosporin. He looked worried and slightly frustrated, especially when Richard took one of the smaller bandaids and quickly pressed it onto his hand.  
“So you’re okay? Why’d you freak out?” Gavin asked as carefully as he could.  
“I’m sorry,” was all Richard could manage to say in reply.

Gavin had left to take Rachel to work, leaving Richard alone at the house.  
He sat on the back porch alone for a while before he was approached by Mrs. Reed.  
“How’s that cut?” She asked in a soft and loving tone.  
“Fine,” Richard mumbled, instinctively holding his hand close to him as if to hide it from Mrs. Reed.  
“Good to know!” she smiled, sitting down next to him, “if there’s anything else you need, I’d be happy to provide it.”  
“That’s very kind of you, thank you,” Richard relaxed slightly.  
“I just want you to feel comfortable and safe here.”  
“I do!”  
Mrs. Reed glanced at him, “you know, I’ve seen a lot of stuff as a marine biologist.”  
Richard tensed back up immediately.  
“I’m not phased by anything,” she continued, but Richard was on his feet.  
“I’m sorry, I--uh--” he ran off before thinking of an excuse.  
He didn’t stop until he reached the rocky beach of the ocean near the Reed’s house, sitting on one of the higher, dry stones and staring bitterly at the ocean.  
Richard sat there for another hour or two before Gavin finally found him.  
“Hey.”  
“Hey,” Richard didn’t look at him.  
“Is there something going on?” Gavin asked bluntly, “why are you acting so weird and evasive?”  
“Because I’m afraid,” Richard replied honestly.  
This took Gavin by surprise.  
“Afraid of what?”  
“Afraid of what you and your family think of me.”  
“Rich, you know I love you. My family adores you. Rachel wouldn’t shut up about how cool you are.”  
Richard frowned, “I’ve never done this before. I’ve never /been/ with someone before. I’ve never met their family. I’ve never lived with someone before. I’m worried I’ll scare you away.”  
Gavin softened slightly, clambering up the rocks to sit next to Richard.  
“You need to start somewhere. Let me help you. I want you to feel comfortable and safe with me.”  
Again with those words.  
He wanted it so badly. The full disclosure would relieve the weight off his shoulders...but fear kept his lips sealed.  
Richard took a shaky breath, tilting his head until it landed on top of Gavin’s.  
Gavin immediately reacted, wrapping an arm around Richard’s torso and pulling him closer.  
It was heartbreaking. Richard couldn’t keep doing this to Gavin. He had to tell him.  
But not today.

* * *

Similar thoughts were on Richard’s mind as Gavin drove them up the coast, eager to show Richard their future home and the physical school that he had put so much investment into.  
The flat was beautiful, set on the top floor of a short high-rise that rested on the crest of the hill that lead down to the building that would be Gavin’s diving school.  
It was a tight-knit community, most everything was within walking distance, and most of the area had been privatized.  
It was like a dream.  
Gavin spoke excitedly about where they could put things in the flat. They discussed curtain colors and whether or not Richard’s large Turkish rug he had won in an auction once would work in the main room, or if they should put it in the bedroom.  
Their bedroom.  
The phrase rolled off Gavin’s tongue like it was the most familiar thing in the world, and yet every time he said it he got more excited.  
Stepping out onto the deck of their flat, Gavin leaned against the crossbar, breathing in the salty breeze, “isn’t it beautiful?”  
Richard nodded. It was. It was all so beautiful and amazing, he hadn’t felt so at home in a while.  
“You really don’t have any verbal thoughts about it?” Gavin pressed.  
Richard blinked, looking over at Gavin, “yeah, it’s beautiful.”  
“I just feel like you haven’t really said what you thought about all this. You’re moving in with me, but I still feel like I barely know anything about you...and how can I know you're not lying about how you feel, just like you did to my family so you could get out of snorkeling?”  
Gavin was finally speaking his mind. Richard could tell that Gavin had been thinking about this for a while.  
“I… what do you want to know about me?” Richard asked forcefully, stung at Gavin's suggestion that he was a liar.   
“Where are you from? Why do I have to save you from answering that question when my sister asks it? Why isn’t it important?”  
Richard bit his lip, his body tensing up so much he began to quiver slightly.  
“It’s not important because--”  
“It’s important to me! Because I love you and you’re my partner...and we share things about ourselves! I’ve made all this effort to show you my life and my family. I’ve tried to be vulnerable, but you just shoot me down time after time! How can I claim I know you if I don't even know why you won't set foot in the water or I don't even know where you were born?”  
“I don’t shoot you down,” Richard countered, stepping away from the deck and heading back into the flat, “I just didn’t think it was that important.”  
“Come on, let’s go down to the school,” Gavin huffed, pulling Richard’s arm. Despite the argument, they walked hand in hand down the tightly winding, steep road leading to the beat-up old building that hugged the cliffside.  
“It’s definitely a fixer-upper,” Richard commented, “but nothing a little elbow grease won’t fix.”  
“Right,” Gavin beamed-- his attitude improving, “the foundation is super solid, considering where it’s built, which was a deal-sealer for me.”  
Leading Richard through the building, Gavin described where the practice pool would be installed, as well as the locker rooms and the front entrance. They discussed good flooring that would survive the wetness, as well as proper colors. Richard always did have a thing for color aesthetic.  
“I can figure out a good logo for you if you'd like,” Richard offered.  
“This is so exciting!” Gavin’s face was practically in pain he was smiling so much, leading Richard down the stairs to the basement exit toward the rickety dock. Richard hoped this meant that the argument had reached its end, as Gavin tended to have a one-track mind.  
“This part needs the most help,” Gavin sighed, the dilapidated wood crying for renovation.  
“I think the base beams still look strong, it’s just the floor that needs refurbishing,” Richard took a step forward, not realizing that the concrete ended at the exit door.  
“Kind of like our relationship,” Gavin commented, flipping the switch again so quickly Richard stopped in his tracks.  
“Is there something wrong with our relationship?”  
“I think it’s messed up that you see nothing wrong with keeping secrets from me!” Gavin exclaimed, “if we’re going to be together, then I need to be able to know that you’re being transparent with me!”  
“I’m not ready yet!” Richard exclaimed, taking a step back, “and you need to respect that!”  
“Not ready for wh--  
Richard took another step back, a loud snapping sound interrupting Gavin.  
“---careful!” Gavin grabbed at Richard’s shirt, but the wood had already snapped from underneath him, plunging him into the water underneath.  
The shock of the water took Richard’s breath away as he sunk underneath the surface, pushing himself as far away from where he had fallen as possible.  
He could hear Gavin’s voice calling for him, and he knew it was inevitable that Gavin would jump in after him if he didn’t come up.  
Unable to bring himself to resurface, Richard swam sideways, grabbing one of the boardwalk beams and hiding behind it as a splash of white entered the water, announcing Gavin’s dive into the ocean to go after him.  
Richard shrunk as close to the ground as he could, hiding in the shadows of the rocks and staying as still as possible.  
Gavin looked around frantically, his free-diving skills proving Richard’s eventual downfall.  
As he swam down to the rocks, looking in all directions, Gavin spotted hands gripping the cement pillar of the boardwalk beam and immediately swam in that direction.  
Richard could see him coming and accepted his fate, coming out from behind the pillar as soon as Gavin was close.  
A huge mass of air escaped from Gavin’s lungs as he registered what he was looking at, slapping a hand over his mouth to keep more air from escaping.  
In front of him, Richard had reappeared, his face still the same, but now with blue-gray growths sticking out from his jaw, and large, butterfly-like appendages where his ears had been.  
His neck had sprouted gills, and, while Gavin couldn’t see anything underneath Richard’s shirt, he could see that his entire lower half had changed into something straight out of mythology, dark, slate-grey fins protruding from his hips and a long tail with a wide caudal fin.  
Richard’s eyes had changed also, the pupils wide like a cat’s eyes when they’re frightened.  
Unable to stay down much longer, Gavin swam forward, grabbing Richard by his shirt and pulling him upward.  
The gesture kicked Richard into action, and with a few strokes of his tail they were back at the surface, Gavin coughing and hacking after breathing in some water.  
Richard stayed just below the surface, some instinctual part of him wanting to escape while he still could, but Gavin’s iron grip on his shirt convinced him to stay, even though he was terrified at what was going to happen next.  
“Come up here,” Gavin demanded, looking around wildly as if to check for spectators. He tugged at Richard’s shirt just in case he hadn’t heard the request.  
Resurfacing, his fin-like ears drooped in the air and his gills closed up slightly so that he could breathe normally through his nose and mouth, his human ears replacing the fins as they dried up out of the water.  
“I’m sorry,” he said quickly, diverting his eyes away from Gavin, who was slowly making his way to the side of the cliff where he could hold on to something. He simply dragged Richard with him.  
“Is this why you've been so--Why are you sorry?” Gavin asked breathlessly, his eyes wide with wonder.  
“I didn’t want to tell you. I was afraid that you would freak out--I’m sorry for lying to you--I--,” Richard murmured.  
“Freak out?” Gavin took a breath, “okay, maybe I did a little bit, but---is this real? Is this actually a real thing?”  
Richard blinked, “what do you mean, is it real? I don’t think I’m capable of pulling such an elaborate prank, Gavin.”  
“So...you’re literally a merman? Is that why you collect shiny things all the time and you knew how to get those shells?”  
“Yeah,” Richard glanced up at Gavin who looked like he was vibrating from excitement.  
“This is the coolest thing ever. I can’t---is that why you never had any pictures of your family? You’re from the ocean?”  
Richard nodded.  
“Holy shit this is so wild,” Gavin whispered, almost beside himself, “but you can become a human on land? How is that possible?”  
“I don’t know,” Richard admitted, “not all merpeople can do it. Not even my brother can.”  
“God, I can’t believe this. You’re a merman, he’s a merman. I’m dating a merman!”  
Richard tilted his head slightly, “...you’re not...mad?”  
“Mad?” Gavin sputtered, “why would I be mad? Holy shit, you’re literally so out of my league that I can’t even exist where you come from! Why’d you leave the ocean, anyway? Why would you want to be around people? We’re so boring!”  
A smile crackled across Richard’s face as he prepared to answer, revealing his now extremely sharp-toothed grin.  
“Holy shit!!” Gavin exclaimed, grabbing Richard’s face, “holy fuck, what? You’re a fucking shark merman??”  
Richard immediately closed his mouth grabbing Gavin’s hands and pulling them away, his face red with embarrassment, “no...all merpeople have sharp teeth.”  
“That’s so hot,” Gavin whispered.  
“Oh my god…” Richard sank down lower into the water, only to be pulled back up by Gavin.  
“No! Don’t---gah, I’m so dumb. Sorry, I’m really stupid, you know this about me. You know you’re dating a really stupid scuba diver, right?” Gavin’s eyes widened, “oh! I could!! I could go swimming with you!”  
“Gavin, I---” Richard stopped.  
“What is it, babe?” Gavin asked, trying to take a deep breath and calm down.  
He often did that when he got too worked up about something.  
“Are you sure this is okay? Maybe you need some time to think about it… before you let some freak live in your nice flat.”  
“Freak?” Gavin shook his head, “I told you that you’re safe with me. This doesn’t change how I feel about you at all...and I can understand why you were so scared to tell me...but Rich, you’re so dumb, you’re literally my favorite person in the whole world….and now on top of that you’re part of the ocean, my favorite place to be? You’re not a freak, you’re perfect!!”


	2. The Scuba Diver And The Merman

Gavin sat at the edge of the rickety dock, checking his gear to make sure everything was working right.  
Turning on the air, he dropped himself into the water and sunk down underneath, adjusting the pressure as he went so that he could breathe easy.  
It was dark now. Gavin’s parents believed he and Richard had gone out on a late-night walk to enjoy the ocean at night. The truth was, they wouldn’t be walking, but swimming.  
Richard had stayed in the alcove all day after falling in, too afraid that people would see him when he tried to come out. Besides that, he had lost half his clothes in the transformation and wasn’t particularly keen on waiting anywhere half-naked.  
That had been a bit of a bummer for Gavin personally, but he had followed Richard’s instructions and brought a large towel and a fresh change of clothes for him to wear.  
When he had returned that night, Richard’s shirt had been hung on the final post of the dock where Gavin could see it, letting him know he was still there.  
Now that Gavin was underwater, he turned on his flashlight, hoping to let Richard know that he had come back.  
Swimming up to him from the deeper part of the cove, Gavin finally got to see what Richard actually looked like, instead of just the blurry version.  
He was, perhaps, the most elegant thing Gavin had ever seen. His smooth tail was massive, and the spines and fins on his back and hips undulated fluidly as he approached Gavin, circling around him with his silly sharp-toothed grin.  
It would take a long time to admit it, but while Richard’s new look completely mesmerized him, he couldn’t quite keep his eyes off of his boyfriend’s torso. He couldn’t help it, any opportunity to see Richard as naked as possible was an absolute win in Gavin’s eyes, and this particular look was such a turn-on that Gavin thought he might just pass away right then.  
Richard grabbed Gavin’s arm, “come on, we can go deeper. I’ve been exploring.”  
He could talk underwater. His boyfriend could do anything.  
“You don’t need that flashlight, by the way,” Richard added, tapping the device off and thrusting Gavin into total darkness.  
For a second, Gavin was frustrated by this, but only a few moments passed before Richard’s body lit up in a series of brightly illumed designs that shone in a haunting blue light. Gavin could see for several yards because of it.  
Richard guided Gavin’s arms until they were around his waist, instructing him to hold on as he dove deeper into the cove, moving much faster than Gavin’s finned feet could ever take him.  
“I found this cave,” Richard explained, “it’s open during the low tide, and I think it has some other openings because I didn’t notice that it ran out of air while I was in it, so you should be able to take your mask off.”  
Gavin nodded, feeling the rush of water change as Richard began to swim upward until they breached the surface.  
Richard’s body lit up the whole room, making it easy for Gavin to see as he clambered onto a smooth slab of rock above the water, carefully turning off his oxygen so he could speak to Richard properly.  
“You glow in the dark, too?” Gavin gasped, pulling out his mouthpiece.  
“Merpeople live deep in the lower layers of the ocean. We need to produce our own light somehow.”  
“I don’t know if I can emphasize this enough, but that is fucking awesome.”  
Richard smiled.  
“Your tail is so unique, too, I’ve never seen anything like it before.”  
Lifting his tail partially out of the water, Richard splashed Gavin a little bit, “stop blowing compliments. You don’t know if it’s unique, I’m the only merperson you’ve ever seen.”  
“That doesn’t mean I can’t like it!” Gavin protested, “so, does it immediately disappear when you leave the water like your ears and gills?”  
“No, the ears and gills shed quickly because I need to breathe the air and hear what’s happening around me. The tail doesn’t go away until I’m completely dry.”  
“So… does this happen every time you take a shower?” Gavin asked with a snort.  
“No, but it does if I take a bath,” Richard explained, leaning against the slab of rock Gavin sat on, laying his head on his crossed his arms.  
“So can you talk to fish?” Gavin asked curiously, pulling off the tanks so he could lay down on the rock next to where Richard had perched himself.  
“Can you talk to chickens?” Richard asked incredulously.  
“No.”  
“Just like I can’t talk to fish. We’re just humans with an alternative adaptation. It’s not as magical as you think.”  
“Uh...I think it’s pretty magical when you can turn into something completely different,” Gavin laughed, “but I guess I don’t really know any real mermaid lore.”  
“There aren’t a lot of us,” Richard admitted, “maybe it is magic, it’s not like I went to mer-school or something.”  
“How’d you learn to speak English?” Gavin asked.  
“Listened to the sailors. Then when I left the water for the first time, I would find libraries and get people to teach me how to read.”  
“That’s crazy,” Gavin hummed, “I would’ve never guessed that... I’m really impressed.”  
“Eh,” Richard shrugged, “you do what you have to in order to survive.”  
“Is that why you left?” Gavin asked, “is it dangerous for you in the ocean?”  
“No, I left because I was curious. I always thought people were so interesting.”  
“Are you serious?” Gavin scoffed.  
“Yes,” Richard looked over at him, a soft look in his eyes, “I think you’re the most interesting of all.”  
“I’m nothing special,” Gavin snorted, deflecting the flirt and looking up as Richard pulled a portion of his body onto the rock so that he was close enough to reach Gavin, grabbing his head and pulling him toward the edge of the rock as his body slid back into the water.  
“Are you trying to dunk me for being self-deprecating?” Gavin laughed, trying to push his head out of Richard’s grasp, but stopping when Richard pressed soft kisses on his cheeks.  
“Let me say nice things about you.”  
“You haven’t changed a bit,” Gavin snorted, brushing his fingers through Richard’s wet hair.  
“Why would I be different?”  
“I don’t know, you’re suddenly even cooler than you were before, so I guess I started thinking you were too good for me...and I was always afraid you were hiding who you really were and that you didn’t actually like me. You know...per our earlier argument.”  
“This doesn’t change anything,” Richard promised, “in fact, I love you all the more for just accepting it...and keeping it a secret, too...I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you earlier. I was just afraid that I would lose you.”  
“Of course,” Gavin returned his kisses, “I would do anything for you.”

* * *

Getting back home that night was a bit of a challenge, but Gavin wouldn’t have traded it for anything. He already had plans to take Richard out again so he could show him his favorite diving places.  
For now, though, Gavin had to focus on the road, trying not to get distracted by Richard, who had fallen asleep in his seat.  
Most of the lights were out at the house when they drove up.  
“Hey, babe, come on, it’s time to wake up. You can go back to sleep as soon as we’re inside,” Gavin shook Richard’s shoulder for several seconds until the man finally roused.  
Guiding him through the house and up the stairs, he sat him down on the edge of the bed and dried his hair thoroughly before allowing him to collapse into bed.  
“Pr’mise n’t t’tell, right?” Richard murmured, wrapping his arms tightly around Gavin’s body, wrapping his legs as well after a short pause, like he had forgotten he could do such a thing.  
“Of course, Rich.”  
“Good.”

The next morning proceeded without too much incident. Richard showered for what felt like an eternity, and when they finally stumbled down the stairs, breakfast was already over.  
“You boys look exhausted, when did you get back last night?” Mrs. Reed asked.  
“Honestly, I couldn’t tell you the time, that’s how late it was,” Gavin yawned.  
“I heard them drive up, it was like---4:00 in the morning!” Rachel complained.  
“Oh, honey, you know this house is big enough for privacy if you need it---” Mrs. Reed started.  
Gavin waved his hands wildly, “that’s not what we were doing!”  
Rachel made throwing up sounds again, all the while Richard just sat down slowly in one of the counter chairs and laid his head on his arms unthinkingly.  
“Long walk, then?”  
“Yeah, didn’t realize how far we’d gone...and Richard doesn’t sleep well. It was my fault.”  
“Well, did you two have plans for today?”  
“Richard wanted me to show him some of the areas where I used to dive, so we’ll probably be doing more climbing.”  
“I see, well, make sure you eat plenty and drink lots of water!” She instructed, “I’ve got to go, but you boys be safe and I’ll see you at dinner. Remember you need to be back to help your dad fix it.”  
“Yeah, mom,” Gavin waved, sitting down next to Richard, who looked practically ready to fall asleep just like that.  
“Is he okay?” Rachel whispered in Gavin’s ear, “he looks really pale. More than last night.”  
“Rachel, don’t you have work today?”  
“Nope! I’m off on Sundays, remember?”  
“Hm,” Gavin sighed, “what’s in the fridge?”  
“Why don’tcha check for yourself?” Rachel teased, running out the back door to the shed to work on her surfboards, “don’t forget that I’ve got practice! You need to pick me up at 4:00!”  
The moment the door closed behind her, Gavin turned back to Richard.  
“Hey, are you alright?”  
“It takes a lot of energy,” Richard murmured, “to change, I mean. I haven’t moved around in that form for a while.”  
“Are you going to be okay?” Gavin asked, realizing that Richard probably really needed to eat something.  
“I dunno, I feel really light-headed.”  
“How about I fix you something to eat and see how you’re feeling?” Gavin offered, “if you’re feeling better, maybe we can go out again....if you want.”  
Richard smiled, “I could show you some things too.”  
“Hell yeah.”  
Gavin pulled everything out of the fridge that could count as a breakfast food, making a buffet for Richard, which he consumed wholesale without even breaking a sweat. Gavin couldn’t even believe how much food he could eat and thanked his lucky stars that he had a job that could accommodate such an appetite.  
Then again, it wasn’t like Richard was just like everyone else. Maybe this was normal for him when he changed. It’s not like Richard had eaten like this before now.  
“We’ll have to go to the store on our way back or else my mom’s gonna lose it,” Gavin laughed, downing a breakfast smoothie he had made for himself while packing an enormous lunch.  
“I’m so sorry I ate so much,” Richard started, but Gavin shook his head.  
“Don’t apologize for needing to eat. There will always be enough food for you, understand?”  
Richard nodded gratefully. The color was back in his face and he looked ready to face another day again.  
“Help me clean up if you’ve got some energy,” Gavin ruffled Richard’s hair, putting the pans and plates in the sink, Richard following after him by wiping down the counters and sweeping the floor, pecking Gavin on the cheek, the ear, or the nose every time he passed him.  
“You’re not usually so touchy,” Gavin squirmed, absolutely delighted at this change in mood.  
“I’m not usually myself,” Richard hummed.  
It was something that broke Gavin’s heart the moment he said it. Richard hadn’t intended for it to be sad in any way, but for some reason, it wrenched Gavin’s whole soul.  
He thought about this as they drove to their destination for the day, his thoughts dwelling on how lonely and isolated Richard must feel away from people who really understand him. Gavin hadn’t even considered that Richard would need to eat more...and it had made Richard sick that morning.  
Richard hadn’t even complained about it either, he was so used to just dealing with people who couldn’t possibly understand. How could Gavin expect to live up to everything that Richard needed?  
“So… how does this usually go?” Gavin asked as they walked down the steep trail to the edge of the rocks, Gavin carrying all of his gear as carefully as he could.  
“What?”  
“Like...so you don’t lose your pants.”  
“I have to take them off first, obviously.”  
Gavin nodded feeling stupid because he was so distracted. He instead busied himself with his gear while Richard stripped right next to him, folding his clothes neatly and wrapping them in his towel and laying it in a dry spot before diving into the water.  
Richard had never been so brazen or comfortable undressing before. It almost felt like Gavin was with an entirely new person. Gavin once again felt a twinge of agitation that he had been standing in the way of that comfort because of his inability to understand Richard, which is why he had hidden so much of himself for so long. How could he possibly make it up to him? How could he prove to Richard that he wanted to be a part of all aspects of his life?  
Waiting for Richard to resurface again before he put his goggles on, Gavin once again mused about whether he was having some sort of strange fever dream when Richard popped up in front of him, the color of his ear fins bright in the midday sun.  
Slapping a salty kiss onto Gavin’s lips before he could pull his mask on, Richard disappeared back into the water with a splash.  
Gavin laughed to himself.  
Richard was never this animated about anything. He was usually the calm to Gavin’s storm, but now it felt like he was bringing a whole new flavor into the relationship...and it felt good, like sunshine.  
Jumping into the water, Gavin found Richard and pointed in the direction they would be going. As soon as they were deep enough, the blue lights appeared on Richard’s skin, lighting the way.  
Gavin spent half his tank taking Richard through the corals and pointing excitedly at certain marine life as they appeared. They seemed to gravitate toward Richard, giving Gavin the diving experience of a lifetime.  
Richard would tell Gavin about what he knew about certain ones, sometimes explaining how merpeople ate their food...and how he preferred cooked fish far more. It just tasted better.  
Gavin wished he could talk to Richard as they continued exploring, Richard pulling Gavin into caverns that he had never dared explore before.  
Richard moved ahead as they swam through a cavern that looked like it had a surface of air.  
Popping his head up, Richard jerked his head back down, shaking his head wildly.  
“It’s different water!!” He exclaimed, “it’s freshwater!”  
Gavin began to panic as he checked his oxygen meter. He had been expecting to find some air to at least conserve some of the oxygen tank, but at this rate, he would run out in a few minutes.  
Grabbing the edge of Richard’s fin, Gavin pointed at his oxygen meter aggressively, then toward the exit of the cave.  
“Oh, you’re out of air? Let’s go back up, then,” Richard took Gavin’s hand and guided him out of the cave, pausing at one of the forks in the tunneling system.  
Gavin pointed in the opposite direction he was going, feeling certain that they were going the wrong way.  
“No, it’s this way, Gavin, I remember. I can smell the water, that’s not the right way.”  
Feeling greater panic settle in, Gavin felt himself being helplessly dragged by Richard, who began to speed up, eventually getting to the exit of the cave and rushing toward the surface.  
Gavin ripped his mouthpiece out and gasped for air, nearly passing out in his effort to breathe properly.  
“Hey, are you gonna be alright? What happened?” Richard asked, fear in his voice.  
“I just ran out of oxygen and fell into a panic, it happens when you don’t have enough air for a long period of time,” Gavin gasped, Richard holding him above water so he wouldn’t have to tread water.  
“Why didn’t you tell me we were low earlier?” Richard asked, “we could’ve turned back!”  
“I just… wanted you to enjoy yourself,” Gavin wheezed.  
“I enjoy being with you! If you run out of air, I can’t exactly do that anymore, can I? You’ll die!”  
“You seem so happy and excited when you’re out here. I’ve never seen you more full of life. I just wanted to support you and be a part of this part of you as best I can…” Gavin took another gulping breath, “but is it enough? I can only stay underwater for a few hours.”  
“Gavin, if the ocean were really the most important part of my life, then I would have never left it.”  
“I know that’s what you said---but I feel like I’m unequipped to really be involved fully with who you are, and I know how much it means to you! That’s why I brought you here in the first place because this coast was part of my life! It seems so selfish of me to only want you to be part of my life when I can’t be part of yours!”  
“You are already, Gavin,” Richard was propelling them toward the rocky outcropping where they had jumped in.  
“I just feel like it’s not enough,” Gavin murmured, “I’m not like you.”  
“I never asked you to be like me,” Richard helped Gavin onto the rocks, “besides, it’s not like becoming a merman is some risk-free process, if that’s what you’re asking about.”  
“Wait, people can just… become one?” Gavin exclaimed, taking a huge swig of water and trying to get his nerves down.  
“I don’t know for sure...it seems much more like a child’s tale to me. Besides those who are born as merpeople, those who drown in the ocean have the potential to become a merperson. The likelihood is increased if merpeople attempt to save that person….but it isn’t guaranteed. Not only that, but there is also a possibility that the person, upon becoming a merperson, will never be able to walk on land again. That’s a lot of risk, Gavin. Also, it’s totally made up in my opinion.”  
Gavin thought about this for a long, extended pause before sighing depressively, “it’s not worth dying on the off chance I get to become a merman. I’d rather just have you as is.”  
Richard smiled with relief, “that’s what I wanted to hear.”  
“Gavin!!” A familiar voice yelled, Richard immediately ducking under the waves as Rachel clambered down the hill toward the rocks.  
“What are you doing here, Rachel?” Gavin demanded, standing up quickly and immediately regretting it, sitting down so that he wouldn’t fall over.  
“You were supposed to pick me up from practice!” She complained, looking around, “where’s your boyfriend?”  
“How’d you know I was here?” Gavin asked, apologizing in the same breath.  
“I called mom, you mentioned you were going to show Richard around...which leads me to my first question. Where is he? Why do you have your scuba gear on? I thought he said he’s terrified of water?”  
Richard listened to all of these questions, Gavin already out of sorts as he was barraged by his sister, who was definitely tired herself.  
“He needed to go to the bathroom.”  
“Doesn’t explain why you decided to go diving and leave him on the rocks. Also doesn’t explain why your tank is completely empty. You must’ve been under there for hours, which is why you didn’t pick me up!”  
Gavin glanced at the water, almost making eye contact with Richard, even though he couldn’t actually see him under the swirling dark blue.  
“Don’t worry about him--- I’m sorry I forgot to pick you up, okay? I lost track of time---”  
“Gavin, why are you being so weird? What happened? You look really shaken and you never go to the end of your tank---”  
Richard made a decision right then. He would immediately feel like he regretted it, but later on, he would be grateful.  
Splashing both Rachel and Gavin, Richard popped his head above the water, wiggling his ear fins.  
“Oh my god!” Rachel screamed, falling back on her butt and scraping up her arm in the process.  
“Hey, I’m not that scary,” Richard propped his arms onto the rocks, looking at her, “I thought you said I was pretty?”  
His ears were normal now and his gills were gone, but she had most certainly seen them. That had been the point. He had even put his elbows on the rocks to show off the spires on his arms.  
“Wha---is this some sort of prank?” She turned to Gavin angrily, “you’re such a bitch!”  
“This isn’t a prank!” Gavin exclaimed, “I thought it was when I found out, too!”  
Rachel stared at her brother hard, tightening her sun-bleached hair in its ponytail before turning to Richard, “so you aren’t afraid of the water, then. You lied about nearly drowning.”  
“I wasn’t really expecting to be found out,” Richard explained carefully, “people aren’t supposed to know what I am.”  
“And what---exactly---are you?” Rachel enunciated.  
“A merman,” Richard replied bluntly.  
“How is that even possible?” She shook her head.  
Richard pulled himself out of the water, sitting awkwardly on the edge while his tail still sat partially submerged.  
“Oh my god, mermaids are real,” Rachel whispered almost gleefully.  
Once she had gotten over the initial shock, it seemed her reaction was much like Gavin’s. She was absolutely fascinated.  
“Gavin, how long have you known?” She exclaimed.  
“You know how I got home really late last night?” He said airily, eyeing Richard with a worried expression.  
“Literally only yesterday? How did you keep it a secret?”  
“Because he asked me to. This isn’t for everyone to know, Rach, not even Mom and Dad. Not unless Richard says it’s okay.”  
Rachel nodded seriously. Being 16 allowed her some sense, even if it only happened periodically.  
“I’m glad you forgot to pick me up,” she grinned, turning back to Richard, who was dunking himself back in the water, “this is literally the best day of my life. Is this even real? Maybe I’m still asleep…”  
“Nope, it’s real,” Gavin gestured at Richard, who sprayed Rachel without hesitation. Gavin had asked him to do the same the night before when he was adamant that it was a dream.  
“Hey!” She wiped her face, “I was just getting dry!”  
“Not a dream,” Gavin repeated.  
“Okay, but next time you go diving will you please take me?” She begged, “I want to swim with your boyfriend!”  
“He’s not a toy!” Gavin exclaimed angrily, but Richard laughed.  
“Maybe we can just swim in a cove or something in the evening where no one can see.” Richard suggested, “and I can light up.”  
“You’re lying,” Rachel whispered.  
Richard’s marks lit up, and Rachel squealed, “oh my god, please Gavin? Please please please??”  
Gavin sighed, “okay, but you know how mom feels about that.”  
“Sharks are literally never around the coves, the last shark attack I read about was literally two decades ago. She can relax,” Rachel huffed, “besides if Richard is there he’ll be able to keep a good look-out!”  
Richard gave Gavin a toothy grin, and Rachel balked again, absolutely taken with Richard in a whole new way.  
“Okay, but if we get in trouble…” Gavin started.  
“I’ll take the blame and say I tricked you because Richard didn’t know the rules and he swayed you with his beautiful puppy-dog eyes.”  
“That’s very convincing,” Gavin admitted, “I would definitely do that.”  
“Yes!” Rachel cheered, “I left my board on the top, will you be coming up soon?” she glanced at Richard, “how do you change back?”  
“I have to dry off,” Richard explained, pointing at his towel, “and then put my clothes back on.”  
He was blunt to make sure Rachel was not at all tempted to come back down the mountain for any reason.  
“Twenty minutes, Rachel. Max,” Gavin promised.  
“I’m already gone,” Rachel waved, starting up the hill, her ears burning.


	3. A Breaking Storm

“So have you ever been stuck?” Rachel asked curiously as Gavin helped her strap her board to the top of his car.  
“What do you mean?” Richard asked, rubbing the towel over his hair so he wouldn’t stain Gavin’s car seat.  
“Like, have you ever been stuck in one form or the other and couldn’t change for some reason?”  
“There are some rules,” Richard started, draping the towel around his shoulders and sitting on the hood of the car to devour the second sandwich from his lunch since drying off, “someone told me that if I were to be on the brink of death or something and attempted to change into a merman it would kill me because I wouldn’t have the necessary energy. I don’t know if I believe it, but I’m not exactly willing to test the theory. One I know for sure, though, is that I have to stay in whatever form I’ve been injured in, or I’ll make it a thousand times worse, or even turn the injury into an internal one that could kill me.”  
“Lots of scenarios where you die, I don’t really like that,” Gavin muttered.  
“Don’t breathe through your gills in the air, or you’ll get an air bubble,” Richard rambled, “uh...I don’t know. I don’t really think about it. It’s not like you guys just think about all the things you have to do in order to function normally.”  
“What if it’s raining and you’re trying to change back to a human?” Rachel pressed, jumping into the back seat.  
“I wouldn’t be able to.”  
“Okay, so does that mean you change into a merman in the shower?”  
“No.”  
“What about in the bathtub?”  
“Yes,” Richard glanced back at her, “why are you so curious?”  
“She likes to know things,” Gavin explained offhandedly.  
“I like to know useful things,” she corrected hotly, “you never know!”  
She would have no clue how prophetic her words were until the next night.

* * *

Gavin had gone through multiple crises since nearly suffocating under the water, and he even thought seriously about taking the measures that Richard had outlined for becoming a merman despite not knowing if it would work. Richard always talked him down, though, and he made Gavin stay away from the ocean for an entire day so that he could be sure that Gavin knew he wasn’t absolutely tied to the ocean.  
Richard had gone many years without swimming in the ocean, and it had been worth it to meet Gavin, learn about the world, and try many new things. Sure, he had been elated to be back in the water again, but he had been more elated that Gavin had accepted him.  
He couldn’t reiterate that enough to Gavin, who had always been bull-headed with his own emotions. Gavin was a hard egg to crack, but Richard always seemed to find a way to coax him away from making rash decisions.  
It seemed that others in the family had noticed Gavin’s odd behavior, and while Rachel tried her best to distract their parents from Gavin’s odd behavior, his mother picked up on it intuitively and cornered Gavin while Rachel, Richard, and Mr. Reed were working on dinner.  
“Is there something going on?” She asked calmly.  
“What are you talking about?” Gavin blinked, taken aback by her bluntness.  
“Between you and Richard--what I really mean is I’m wondering about Richard.”  
“Wha--what are you wondering?” Gavin stammered, looking for an escape but not finding it.  
“You know him better than anyone, Gav--”  
“What are you trying to say? That he’s hiding something?”  
His mother sighed, “Gavin, it’s okay--I just want to make sure that Richard knows he’s safe here and that he should be comfortable telling us anything--”  
“Then he’ll do that,” Gavin stepped around her, “it’s not up to you.”  
He took a deep breath as he escaped to the kitchen with the others.

“I got my board all waxed and ready,” Rachel winked at Gavin as the three of them put away the dishes and cleaned up after dinner. Richard had made the main dish for dinner that night, impressing Gavin’s entire family, but more importantly impressing their stomachs.  
“You should stay another week,” Mrs. Reed commented to Richard as he swept around the table.  
“It certainly has been a pleasant stay, Mrs. Reed,” Richard smiled, “I have loved getting to know you.”  
“You’re practically part of the family,” Mr. Reed joked, making both Richard and Gavin go red in the face. They hadn’t told the family that they would be moving in together just an hour up the road.  
Rachel made vomiting noises.  
“I thought you liked him, Rachel?” Mrs. Reed teased.  
Rachel stuck out her tongue and continued to wipe the table without another word.  
“We really have enjoyed your company, Richard,” Mr. Reed added seriously, “we’d have you back any time.”  
“I’d gladly take you up on that,” Richard grinned, setting the broom aside, “did I really sell myself that well with the food?”  
“I’ve never had a fish and chips that good homemade,” Mrs. Reed sighed.  
“Hey, I helped!” Gavin inserted himself.  
“You did a good job, too,” Richard smiled, kissing him on the temple to the sounds of Rachel making retching sounds again.  
It didn’t take long before Rachel ‘retired to bed’ and Gavin and Richard announced they would be going out for another late-night walk.  
“Be safe, I saw that a storm is likely to blow in tonight or early tomorrow morning, so make sure you’re back before it starts up!”  
“I’m sure we’ll be fine, mom,” Gavin waved, closing the door and exchanging a glance with Richard, “will we be fine?”  
“I dunno, maybe we should call it off?”  
But Rachel was not about to let them do that.  
By the time they got to the chosen cove, the wind hadn’t picked up yet, so Gavin let her out into the moonlit surf.  
“Maybe I should invest in a swimsuit,” Richard snorted, stripping down and folding his clothes the same way he had the other day.  
“It’d just get torn up,” Gavin shrugged, following Richard into the waves, watching as his body began to change the moment the water started to completely cover him. It was so strange, yet mesmerizing.  
“Come on,” Richard tugged him forward into the deeper water, “hold onto me,” he instructed.  
Gavin obeyed without question, feeling the water rush past him as they caught up to Rachel in no time, Richard beginning to glow to alert her of their presence.  
“That’s so cool,” Rachel breathed, beginning to paddle out towards the crest of the cove.  
“Rachel, don’t leave the cove,” Gavin called, “that was the rule.”  
“But all the good waves are out there!” she pouted, “you know I’ll be fine!”  
“Mom said there’s a storm coming,” Gavin started, but Rachel was already paddling away.  
“Rachel!” Gavin yelled, but she ignored him.  
“We can just follow her, if it gets too dangerous I can always drag her in,” Richard said reassuringly.  
“Alright.”  
Gavin hugged Richard tightly as they rode the smaller waves past the edge of the cove, the bigger waves crashing just beyond the corals.  
“I don’t have a good feeling about this,” Gavin muttered, “I can feel the pressure changes in the air…”  
“I can too, the current is really strong as well,” Richard added, “I think there might be a riptide underneath the surface.”  
“We shouldn’t have done this,” Gavin grumbled.  
“Let’s get your sister,” Richard agreed, swimming out into the harsher water without really thinking about the fact that Gavin was just clinging onto him.  
Gavin held on for dear life, trying to keep his head up for air as the waves started getting larger and crashing down on top of them, forcing Richard to swim through them.  
Just as he was getting used to the rhythm, something about the water would change and Gavin would lose another opportunity to catch some air.  
“We’re almost to the reef,” Richard informed, and Gavin felt a hand grip onto his surf shirt as they swam over the sharp corals and rocks as a wave filled the space.  
“Can you see her?” Richard asked after pulling through another large wave.  
“Rachel!” Gavin yelled, searching the dark expanse of ocean and not catching sight of her.  
“I don’t see her, Richard, I can’t see her!” He whispered haggardly.  
“Stay by the corals where the water isn’t as rough,” Richard instructed, “I’ll go out and get her.”  
Gavin didn’t want to let go, but he knew he had to, finding a place to stand on the rocks that didn’t cut his feet open and watching as the blue lights practically disappeared in the distance, the waves already becoming frighteningly huge.  
“Rachel!” Gavin yelled loudly, the storm and high tide beginning to put him in danger, “Rachel, can you hear me?!” Gavin yelled.  
“Gavin!” Rachel called from not too far away. She was clinging to her board and trying to swim toward him.  
“I got you, I got you,” Gavin swam out to her, just grabbing her board as a massive wave caught them both and moved to slam them into the reef.  
Thinking fast, Gavin thrust the board forward, sending Rachel past the sharp rocks as the wave slammed him down into them.  
It knocked him out instantly.  
Richard could smell the blood the moment it touched the water and immediately sped back, eyes scanning the water as he tried to discern whose blood it was.  
When Richard found Gavin’s torn up body, he grabbed it and pulled Gavin into the cove, where the water was calmer.  
“Gavin, come on---” Richard swam to the closest rock formation he could find at the edge of the cove, pulling Gavin onto it and pressing his full weight into Gavin’s chest, trying to get him to cough up the water.  
Leaning down, Richard pressed face into his to try and get him breathing again, nearly jumping when the blue light from his own body surged from his lips into Gavin’s body, sending a jolt through the man.  
“Oh shit. Oh shit, oh shit!!” Richard tried to pull him farther out of the water, but it was too late, the change was already happening, exasperating Gavin’s wounds and stretching them out as a tail extended out from under his black surf shirt, tearing his swim trunks apart.  
“No no no!” Richard dragged Gavin back into the water, attempting to get him to the beach as fast as he could, but the moving was much slower now that Gavin was nearly three times his normal weight in the water.  
He needed to get him to a place to get dry so he could shrink again and change back. This might have been what Gavin wanted, but if it killed him then Richard would never recover.  
Richard was so preoccupied that when he was suddenly pushed away from Gavin he thought it was a wave. The storm was rolling in now, so everything was beginning to pound and shove towards the beach anyway.  
But this wasn’t going toward the beach.  
The pain didn’t hit him until a moment later, and when Richard jerked toward his attacker, he found himself face to face with a shark, who had likely gotten stuck in the cove because of the storm and was trying to protect itself.  
Shoving Gavin forward with the waves, Richard grabbed at the shark that was still holding onto his side and preparing to shake its head.  
Gripping tightly, Richard dug his fingers into the shark’s eye and gills as it shook him around violently, tearing open his side.  
With a jerk, Richard ripped himself away and bit down on the gills of the shark, blowing air into it and tearing a chunk out of the shark as it immediately fled from the deadly prey it had just attacked.  
The storm picked up just as quickly as Mrs. Reed had predicted, and Richard found it hard to even stay with the waves, his body completely rigid as it tried to preserve whatever muscles were left in his side.  
As Richard’s battle against the waves was failing and he was pulled out of the cove, Gavin was washed onto the beach, the harsh wind drying him quickly and shrinking him down to his normal self in only a minute, Rachel finding him only a few minutes later, finally landing onshore herself.  
“Oh my god,” she ran to their bags, pulling out her phone and calling 911, following their instructions as she tried to put pressure on the huge cuts all along his chest, side, and legs--and throwing a towel over him to preserve his dignity--his surf shirt was so torn up that she was convinced the corals had torn it all off.  
When the ambulance arrived and carted him away, they asked her if she needed to come with.  
In her frenzy, she suddenly remembered there had been a third person with them.  
“I’m going to call our mom and get picked up if that’s okay,” she whispered.  
“Just make sure that happens, alright?” The emergency responder nodded, running up the beach to where Gavin was being placed in the brightly lit car.  
As soon as they were gone, Rachel ran up and down the beach, calling Richard’s name over and over until her voice was hoarse.  
When it was clear that Richard wouldn’t be showing up on shore anytime soon, she ran to her bag and pulled out her phone, calling the only person she knew could find Richard.  
“Hey, mom… don’t get mad, okay, but I really need your help right now.”

* * *

Mr. and Mrs. Reed split up as soon as they got the call. Mr. Reed went to the hospital and Mrs. Reed picked Rachel up at the beach, scolding her only slightly in her panicked state.  
They waited at the docks until the storm allowed them to go out on Mr. Reed’s sailboat and search the area outside the cove as well as a mile up and down the coast.  
The sun was just rising into the sky when they caught sight of a small fisherman’s boat that looked like it had weathered the storm.  
“You boys alright?” Mrs. Reed called as they pulled alongside the boat.  
“Is that Virginia Reed?” A jovial-but-hoarse voice replied, leaning over the edge of the boat.  
“Yessir, Captain, you seen anything interesting in these waters during the storm?”  
Rachel looked on hesitantly as her mother conversed with the fisherman. He was one of the small-time fishermen that brought in sea-life for her when they were in trouble. It felt like dumb luck.  
“Actually, Ma’am, I’ve got something mighty strange, we’re holding it on the other side of the hull…”  
Mrs. Reed directed the boat until they came up on the other side, Rachel leaning forward eagerly, hoping that he had meant Richard.  
She actually threw up this time when she saw him tangled in the fisherman’s net, slicked with blood and a harpoon through the lower part of his tail.  
“Oh my god!” She choked.  
Mrs. Reed took a deep, stabilizing breath as she pulled out her phone, whispering to herself _"I knew it."_  
“Captain, would you be willing to take your boat to our private dock so that I can take that off your hands?”  
She found her husband’s contact while waiting for an answer.  
“Sure thing, ma’am! Do you reckon you could tell me what this thing is, though? I thought it was a shark at first, which is why I harpooned it--thought it was after my fish...”  
She held up a hand as she explained the situation to Mr. Reed over the phone, patting Rachel on the shoulder as she looked back up at the sea captain.  
“Don’t worry, we’ll have him right as rain at the clinic,” she paused, “but to answer your question...you’ve caught yourself a real merman, Captain.”


	4. So Many Fish Kisses

When Gavin woke up he practically had a panic attack in the hospital room.  
“Where am I? What’s going on? Where’s Rachel?”  
His father gripped his arm, forcing him to calm down before he hurt himself.  
“You’re in the hospital, you got slammed into a reef and got cut up real bad, it seems. Rachel is fine, she’s with your mother and...Richard…”  
“Everyone’s okay?” Gavin breathed.  
“I...wouldn’t say that,” his father said hesitantly.  
“Well, I’m obviously not okay,” Gavin huffed, taking a look at himself but wincing at the slightest movement of his neck.  
“Is there anything you can tell us about your boyfriend, Gavin?”  
Gavin felt his blood run cold, “...what do you mean?”  
“I mean,” his father lowered his voice, “can you explain to us why we have to hold him in your mother’s marine wildlife conservation veterinary hospital?”  
Practically choking on air, Gavin gripped the bars of the bed, “you saw?”  
“Yeah, I met up with your mother and sister at the docks...some fishermen hauled him in at some point and I had to drive him into the facility in the bed of my truck while your mother and sister kept him wet in the back.”  
“Is he okay?”  
“I’m waiting for a call from your mother about it. I’ve been a little preoccupied with you, at the moment.”  
“Not with the fact you carried a Fishman to an aquatic veterinary clinic?” Gavin wheezed quietly.  
“Your mother and sister didn’t seem at all phased by it, so who am I to act like it’s strange?”  
“What happened to him, though?” Gavin pressed.  
“He has a nasty shark bite, Gav, and the fishermen speared him thinking he was attempting to scavenge their catch,” his dad sighed, sitting back in his chair and rummaging through his pockets looking for his phone, “your mom had to call in a few people because he still needed a human blood transfusion…and Rachel kept yelling at them to keep him wet or else he’ll die or something.”  
Gavin could not have been more grateful at that moment for Rachel’s nosiness.  
“When can I get out of here?”  
“The nurses want you to stay put for as long as possible, so you won’t be released until the end of the day. They want to monitor your pain and everything, make sure you’re clear to go home.”  
“What time is it right now?”  
“7:23 in the morning.”  
“Oh, so I haven’t really been out for that long,” Gavin wanted to cry right then, “Dad, I’m really sorry. I thought we would be fine, but---”  
“It’s okay, Rachel said you saved her life, and that it was all her fault because she forced it on you even when you told her that she shouldn’t. She’s a 16-year-old, she knows better. It’s not your fault you can’t control her. She already feels horrible.”  
“Okay,” Gavin stared at the ceiling, wishing the lights would just turn off.  
“How long have you known about...Richard?”  
“Four days.”  
“I see,” his father nodded sagely, “did you freak out?”  
“A little bit.”  
“Apparently he’s not the first one your mother has seen.”  
Gavin nearly jerked out of bed, “what?”  
“She found one caught in some discarded fishnets once, cut her out, and watched her disappear again. Said she always thought it was a dream, but she kept that fishnet, you know, just to assure herself she wasn’t crazy.”  
“Holy shit,” Gavin almost laughed if it weren’t for the fact that he felt a keen sense of anxiety for Richard’s well-being.  
No wonder she had tried to corner him about Richard. She must’ve guessed it early on.  
They waited in near silence for almost two hours when a buzz came in on his father’s phone.  
“Is it mom?” Gavin demanded, pushing himself up slightly.  
“Yeah, she says they managed to get him patched up and in one of the tanks. They had to use a crane to get him in. He’s not responsive yet, though.”  
Before Gavin could ask to talk to her, though, the phone was ringing.  
“I told her you were awake,” he explained, handing Gavin the phone.  
“Mom?”  
“Oh my god, Gav, are you doing okay?” she practically yelled over the phone.  
“I’m so hopped up on drugs right now I can’t feel much of anything,” Gavin admitted dryly, “how’s Richard? Please tell me he’ll be okay?”  
“I think he’ll come through. We’re just waiting for him to wake up from the anesthetic we gave him. Rachel did everything she could…”  
“Is that Gavin?”  
Gavin could hear Rachel crying in the background of the call.  
“Yes, honey, did you want to talk to him?”  
“Gavin I’m so sorry!!” She wailed.  
“It’s okay---”  
“It’s not okay, Gav! This is all my fault, you and Richard are both… dead….!”  
“We’re not dead, yet, Rach,” Gavin assured quietly, “thanks for taking care of Richard.”  
“Of course!” Rachel sobbed, “he’s really important to you! And I got him hurt!! I’m the worst sister in the world!!”  
Gavin could hardly understand her anymore, but he reassured her all the same.  
“We’ll be okay, Rachel, I promise,” Gavin assured, barely believing the statement but feeling the instinctive need to bolster his little sister up, despite the fact that this was, in part, her fault. Gavin couldn’t find it within himself to blame her. He had done far stupider things as recently as two days ago.  
“Can I come visit?” Rachel begged.  
“Can you stay with Richard, actually?” Gavin requested, “if he wakes up, I want someone he recognizes to be there since I can’t. Can you do that for me?”  
“Uh-huh!”  
Gavin could hear Rachel nodding over the phone.  
“Dad says I’m coming home tonight, so maybe I’ll see you soon, okay?”  
“Okay,” Rachel’s voice wobbled, “I’m sorry, Gav.”  
“I forgive you, it’s okay. Stop beating yourself up.”  
“Okay.”  
“See you tonight, girly.”  
“Love you, Gavin, thank you…”  
Gavin hung up after saying goodbye to his mother and handing the phone back to his Dad.  
“That was a very kind thing you just did,” his father noted calmly.  
“I need to decide to forgive her now when things are looking relatively good. If I don’t, and Richard dies because of this, I may lose my sister, too.”  
“You’re a good man, Gavin,” his father pat his shoulder softly, “hell, I’d jump out of the ocean just to get to know you, too.”  
“Please don’t tell me ocean and fish jokes are going to be a part of your arsenal with Richard, now,” Gavin pleaded.  
“You better believe I’m not missing an opportunity this good,” his father laughed, “but don’t worry. This is all just in the family.”  
Those words were all Gavin needed to be reassured that Richard would be safe with them.

* * *

Laying in his bed alone that night was probably more painful than all the stitches and staples that throbbed all over his body.  
His father made him a small dinner to eat, while Rachel refused to leave the clinic despite their mother attempting to send her home several times.  
Staring at the ceiling, Gavin felt the strong temptation to take the pain medication that would put him out for the night, but refused again and again, hoping beyond hope that Richard would wake up.  
Rachel sent him pictures, and it looked pretty ugly. One of Richard’s fins had been nearly torn off, and he was being held up in a sling above the water so that they could attach a respirator to his mouth to help him breathe.  
The fisherman's spear looked like it had caused the least amount of damage, as it had gone through the base of his tail, far from any vital organs.  
It made Gavin sick at the sight of it, but he was grateful all the same.  
Just when he thought he would finally succumb to the temptation to take the pain medication, his phone buzzed.  
It was 3:21 in the morning.  
“Hello?” Gavin wheezed, reaching too fast for his phone in his anxiety to pick up Rachel’s call.  
“He’s awake,” Rachel explained, her voice drowned of any color for her exhaustion.  
“And? How’s he doing?”  
“Mom’s taking a look at everything right now and asking him questions. I didn’t know Mom had seen a mermaid before ....”  
“I didn’t know, either.”  
“I called since I figured you would want to talk to him.”  
“Thank you, thank you,” Gavin whispered.  
“Is that Gavin, girly?” his mother’s voice asked.  
“Yeah, was that okay?” Rachel asked, their voices slightly muffled with the distance.  
“Yes, of course, climb up here.”  
Gavin held the phone away from his ear as Rachel climbed the ladder to the top of the tank, the loud clanking sound nearly unbearable.  
“I can hold the phone for you, dear, don’t worry about it,” Gavin’s mother murmured softly.  
“Gavin?” Richard croaked, his voice obviously slurred and unstable from the medications that were still wearing off.  
“Yeah, I’m okay, Rich, I’m okay. Are you going to be okay? Are you feeling anything at all?”  
“Nuh...not really feeling much… yer ma...says she knows---knows about merpeople…” Richard made a breathing sound that sounded only remotely like laughing, “...so funny…she knew...all along...”  
“Yeah, I thought it was pretty funny when I found out this morning, too,” Gavin snorted, “just know you’re in the right hands. My mom and her team will take good care of you. Don’t worry.”  
“Hmmm...so far...so good...five stars...on yelp.”  
“Oh my god,” Gavin smiled, “you’re so high right now, aren’t you?”  
“The medications we used on him are a lot stronger than the kind we would use on a human, Gavin,” his mother explained, “he’ll probably be loopy like this until he can shrink down again and get on human medication.”  
“Yer mom...so smart…” Richard laughed airily, “I know where you get it, now…”  
“Hey, just take it easy, okay?” Gavin requested softly, “I promise to get better as fast as I can so I can visit you, how about that?”  
“Whoever gets better first… wins…” Richard murmured, “I think I can win….I beat up a shark…I can do anything…”  
“Did you now?” Gavin said, “I think the shark beat you up, babe.”  
“Nuh...I bit his gills off...he’s dead meat...we should find him...make shark-fin soup…”  
“I can vouch for that, he had a huge chunk of shark in his mouth when we brought him in,” his mother chimed in.  
“No kidding, those teeth aren’t just for show, I guess,” Gavin snorted, “okay, the first one who gets better wins, deal?”  
“What do I win?” Richard hummed lazily.  
“A kiss.”  
“I get that anyway. Better prize.”  
“A bath.”  
“Hmm okay….” Richard breathed, sounding much more distant as if the short conversation had taken everything out of him.  
“He’s drifting off again, Gav, do you want us to call you back when he comes to again?” she asked.  
“No, just let him get some sleep. He needs it.”  
“So do you, dear,” his mom chided.  
“So I do,” Gavin agreed, “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”  
“Don’t forget to take your pain meds, Gav,” she reminded before hanging up.  
Gavin chugged them and immediately passed out.

* * *

Rachel rolled Gavin into the clinic a week and a half later in a wheelchair, having just visited the hospital to get his staples removed and his stitches checked. The nurses deemed him able to sit upright and okay to be pushed around, which Rachel volunteered for immediately, taking him straight to the clinic.  
“He’s still sleeping, be quiet,” one of the clinic team members shushed them as they walked into the special tank room. It was off-limits to volunteers, so only the head staff knew that Richard was there. All of whom had seen a mermaid or interacted with a merperson in the past.  
Gavin wondered if this had reassured Richard at all, knowing that this wasn’t some shock to the marine biologists of the world, who had all collectively decided to keep them a secret.  
Richard lay on the hammock that had grown much more complicated over the past week or so, the team getting creative on how to keep Richard comfortable, even including a pillow for him to lay his head on now that the respirator was no longer in the way.  
“He’s definitely looking a lot better, Gav,” Rachel promised, “I’ve been checking on him every day after work and practice.”  
“Do you guys spend your time gossiping about me?” Gavin joked under his breath so as not to disturb his boyfriend.  
“Not always,” Rachel giggled, “most of the time he just goes on and on about how much he loves you.”  
Gavin blushed, “really?”  
“Yeah, he literally never shuts up about it. I’m your sister and I don’t love you that much.”  
Rolling his eyes, Gavin focused his attention on the thick bands wrapped around Richard’s torso and the tape around his fin.  
“Are you gonna marry him? I want you to marry him. Will you marry him?” Rachel leaned on the handle of the wheelchair.  
“He’s gonna move in with me, if that gives you an idea about where this is going,” Gavin snorted, “but we’re taking it slow.”  
“I’ve already accepted him as my other very dumb brother, you can’t break up with him,” Rachel asserted.  
“I wasn’t planning on it.”  
“Then you should just get married.”  
“When we’re ready, maybe we will.”  
“Can I be the ring bearer?”  
“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Gavin teased.  
Rachel gave him a pouty look before standing upright again at the sound of Richard stirring.  
Opening one eye, Richard saw them sitting below him and moaned, turning his head.  
“That doesn’t count, you’re still in a wheelchair,” Richard complained immediately, his words at least a little tighter, but his speech much slower.  
“Okay, it doesn’t count,” Gavin relented, “just look at me for a minute?”  
“You’re so far away,” Richard complained, “and you can’t climb the ladder.”  
“But I’m closer than a phone call,” Gavin reminded.  
“Hmpf.”  
“Do you want something to eat, Richard? I brought sushi!” Rachel opened her bag, shaking a box so he could hear it.  
Immediately perking up, Richard turned around and looked at them, “okay...you get me…”  
“What, no ‘how’re you doing, Gavin?’ for me?” Gavin complained.  
“How’re-ya doin’ Gavvie?” Richard slurred, laughing a little bit, “I really….really hate these pain meds… they make me dumb...I’m not dumb!”  
“Of course you’re not, you’re just hurt, Rich,” Rachel comforted, handing him a roll to eat.  
“And people...just stare at me...all day…. Ask do I feel better? Nuh! I don’t! Right Rachel?”  
“Does it still hurt?”  
“Does it still hurt?” Richard mimicked back, taking another sushi roll, “I’m so stupid my brain doesn’t know it’s supposed to not hurt...when I’m on pain meds….!”  
“The medication is for reducing pain, it won’t get rid of it completely,” Rachel reminded calmly.  
Gavin just watched as they conversed, feeling bad that he couldn’t be up there, too, but at least enjoying the fact that his sister cared so equally for them. She treated Richard like a best friend, and Rachel didn’t have many of those.  
“Have I ever told you…? I think I would feel better if Gavin would visit...I know he said it was a competition… but I just want to see him…”  
“Rich, he’s right there.”  
Richard looked down, actual recognition in his eyes as he registered that Gavin was in the room. It was like he had forgotten talking to him just a few minutes prior.  
“How’s the coral scratchies?” Richard asked, ignoring Rachel in exchange for Gavin.  
“They’re doing better,” Gavin smiled, feeling lighter at being acknowledged. He was the first to admit how needy he was for attention. Especially Richard’s.  
“Hmmm, I would kiss them better… but last time you turned into a fish!” Richard hummed, “I don’t want you to turn into a fish… it’ll make them worse...you know, right Rachel?”  
“That’s what you said,” Rachel nodded, “no fish kisses for Gavin until he’s better, right?”  
“Right,” Richard nodded sternly.  
“I’m getting impatient, I want a fish kiss!” Gavin smirked, “hurry up and get better!”  
“Did you fight a shark…?” Richard demanded, barely able to form the phrase into a question.  
“No.”  
“That’s right!” Richard showed his teeth, “I’m a shark eater now. I’m better than sharks….does that make you feel nice?”  
“I feel so safe,” Gavin smiled, “but you can’t protect me from sharks if you’re still in there!”  
“Ugh, you’re right! Rachel, get me down!”  
“Sorry, Rich, but you’ve got to stay until you get better.”  
“No swimming for you, Gavin. You can’t be a fish until I can be a fish.”  
“You’re already a fish,” Gavin pointed out.  
“Hm,” Richard lay his head back down, his face growing somber, “I miss you, Gavin.”  
“You’ll be able to come back soon.”  
“I miss you,” he repeated with a sniff, “please stay. I’m lonely.”  
“I’ll stay as long as I can,” Gavin promised.

* * *

The whole family celebrated the day Richard came back to the Reed house. They had an extra fancy fish dinner that he nearly ate half of without even blinking. Mrs. Reed had planned for this thanks to Gavin’s warnings and surprised the family with a whole new tray of food before Richard could even feel embarrassed about it.  
He was wobbly on his feet after being suspended in a half-submerged hammock for nearly a month.  
Gavin had been the most excited since he had been out of his stitches for over a week and a half by the time Richard was ready to have his own removed so that he could change back.  
That had been an ordeal all by itself. Richard was terrified that he was going to hurt himself after being in so much pain. It didn’t help that he was still groggy from the drugs when it was time for him to change back.  
It took half a day of napping in Gavin’s room and the smell of food to coax him to walk again after coming home. He was much more with it now that he was on human pain killers, which was helpful.  
“How are you feeling, honey?” Mrs. Reed asked politely as they were just finishing dessert.  
“A lot better,” he smiled, “like I’m myself again.”  
“I’m so sorry those drugs made you so loopy,” she apologized again.  
“It’s really okay, Mrs. Reed, I understand,” Richard waved, “I’m just so grateful you could help me. You really saved me.”  
“I did my best, I just hope you’ll be swimming right soon.”  
“I think so,” Richard grinned brightly.  
“I mean, it shouldn’t be too hard to get some time to practice where we’ll be living,” Gavin mentioned casually.  
“Hm?” Mr. Reed looked over at him.  
“I’ve purchased a flat just up the coast about 40 or so minutes. It’s at the top of a nice alcove where I’ve invested in a building to open a diving school.”  
“Where’d you get that money?” Mrs. Reed exclaimed.  
“I’ve been running the school using other facilities and pools near my building for a couple of years, and I’ve got a pretty good rating already,” Gavin boasted, “so I’m sure I’ll be able to help him with some exercise therapy.”  
“Gavin, that’s so exciting…” Mrs. Reed blinked, realizing what he was saying, “you two are moving in together?”  
Richard nodded.  
“About time,” Mr. Reed snorted.  
Rachel clapped.  
As the evening progressed, it was clear that Richard was getting tired again, so Gavin decided to lead him back upstairs to get to sleep for the night.  
“You promised me a bath,” Richard whined when Gavin offered him his pajamas.  
“Right now? You just got home today, aren’t you tired of being in the water?” Gavin asked.  
“I want to be clean,” Richard begged, “please.”  
“Okay, okay, bath it is. I’ll even make it a bubble bath for ya, how does that sound?”  
“Like heaven,” Richard lay down on the bed, curling up on his good side as he waited for Gavin to fill the bathtub.  
He was almost asleep when Gavin returned for him, helping him on his feet and into the bathroom, closing the door and helping him undress, the scar tissue on his side was still sore-looking, but overall it was healing well, which encouraged Gavin greatly.  
“There might not be enough room for you in this tub when you change, Rich,” Gavin snorted, helping him into the bath anyway.  
“That sounds like a personal problem,” Richard mumbled squeezing his eyes shut as his body shifted, his tail busting over the edge of the tub as soon as it could, and his giant fins spilling over the edges.  
“You’re fucking massive, did you know that?” Gavin said, grabbing some soap.  
“Are you calling me fat?” Richard opened one eye to stare at Gavin.  
“Absolutely not. You’re exactly what I want in a man.”  
“Sounds fishy,” Richard wrinkled his nose.  
“You’re fishy,” Gavin returned, rubbing his hands into Richard’s hair and washing it carefully, moving on from his hair and gradually finishing with a scrub brush on his tail.  
“Am I still fishy?” Richard asked as the water drained and Gavin dried him off.  
Gavin sniffed his neck, “doesn’t smell like it.”  
Richard’s tail slowly shrunk away, revealing his legs again.  
“You don’t look like it.”  
“Stop it,” Richard wrapped his arms around Gavin’s neck as he helped him out of the tub and into his clean pajamas.  
“You were encouraging it,” Gavin teased, “Fishman.”  
“You’re a Fishman,” Richard smiled, his eyes half-closed as Gavin helped him into bed.  
“Oh? Am I going to get some fish kisses tonight?” Gavin snorted, not expecting anything of the sort from how tired Richard looked.  
“Yeah, come here,” he held open his arms slightly, his eyes all the way closed.  
“Hold on, let me get ready for bed, okay?”  
“I’m waiting,” Richard held out his arms until Gavin finally turned off the lights and carefully curled into his boyfriend’s arms, receiving multiple tired but emotional kisses.  
“I’m glad I’m moving in with you,” Richard murmured.  
“Oh?”  
“I don’t think I could go one more night sleeping without you right next to me.”  
Gavin pressed his face into Richard’s shoulder, “neither can I.”

* * *

Their first day back in the water was the day after they had moved into their new flat. Gavin had finally graduated, and he and Richard had even made some purchases to start working on the diving school with his dad’s help.  
“Are you sure you’re up for this? It’s been a while,” Gavin asked as Richard pulled off his shirt.  
“I’ve been ready for a while, I’m just not sure you’re ready.”  
“I brought all my gear,” Gavin gestured at the diving equipment he hadn’t strapped on yet.  
“Maybe we should just go for a swim today? No wetsuit, just your old swim trunks.”  
“That’s oddly specific,” Gavin snorted, “I didn’t bring them, anyway.”  
“I did,” Richard smiled, pulling them out of his bag and throwing them to Gavin.  
“I literally tried to throw these away a week ago, why did you fish them up again?”  
“Just put them on you scaredy-cat,” Richard teased, adjusting the swimming slip that Gavin’s mom had made for him to wear out of thick, wet-suit fabric. She decided it was unbecoming of her self proclaimed future son-in-law to just strip down naked every time he wanted to go for a swim.  
“You look so weird with that on,” Gavin laughed.  
Richard rolled his eyes, releasing the latches on the pant-skirt and jumping into the water, his body growing into the suit like a perfectly fitting glove. She had even made appropriate holes where his spines and fins could come out.  
It was literally a swimsuit for a fish.  
Richard loved it.  
“Come in, why don’t you?” Richard called after popping his head out of the water, “are you wearing your trunks?”  
“Are you making me wear these so you feel less weird in your fish suit?” Gavin asked, “you could at least admit it to me.”  
“Nope, has nothing to do with it. I love my fish suit.”  
Gavin rolled his eyes, diving into the water without another word.  
Richard watched, confused, as Gavin popped back up to the surface, completely unchanged.  
“What’s that face for?”  
Frowning, Richard ducked underneath the water, waiting for Gavin to join him, still giving him a confused look. Perhaps it was because he hadn’t given him a full ‘kiss’ that night. The change hadn’t been complete...  
Without thinking, he reached forward and kissed Gavin underneath the water, the same blue glow coming from his body and injecting into Gavin, who practically had a panic attack in the water as his legs fuzed together.  
Richard wrapped an arm around his torso and pulled him to the surface, where he took a gasp of air the moment he could.  
“What the fuck?” He yelled so loudly it echoed off the cliff walls.  
“I kept telling you that you’re a Fishman,” Richard laughed, “I guess I can make you one whenever I want, now. I didn’t realize that’s how it works.”  
“But you were on drugs, what the fuck---holy shit, am I really? When did that happen?”  
“You drowned when you hit your head on the reef. When I tried to bring you back I did CPR and it just… happened. I don’t know what to tell you.”  
“Holy shit, how am I supposed to teach a snorkeling class if I’m like this, now?”  
“I don’t think you can change into one without my help” Richard snorted, “so it’s like you’re just half a Fishman, really.”  
Gavin leaned back trying to get a glimpse of his tail, which was a striking dark red-brown color with even darker stripes.  
“So… it’s magic.”  
“I guess it’s magic. Love magic,” Richard teased, disappearing underneath the water, Gavin following after him clumsily.  
“Come on, swim like a fish!”  
“I’m trying!” Gavin garbled, catching up to him awkwardly.  
“You’re doing great, love,” Richard kissed him on the temple before taking his hand, “just don’t forget that I loved you just as much when you couldn’t breathe underwater.”  
“I won’t,” Gavin smiled, following after Richard eagerly.


End file.
